"To read or to watch –that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to read
The original story within a book
The slings and arrows of its outrageous fortune
Or to take arms on behalf of a troubled film adaptation
Or by opposing end them."
(Obviously taken from Hamlet's soliloquy, a monologue from the play by William Shakespeare.)

miércoles, 12 de febrero de 2014

Snow White: Grimm vs Disney

Admit it: Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a huge part of your childhood. If you're a girl, you watched it because of Snow White and the prince. If you're a boy, you thought the dwarfs were the best characters in the whole movie. Personally, I loved the whole story. Even though it's silly how the prince just comes out of nowhere the two times he appears in the whole movie (the first time to tell her through a song how much he loves her, the second to carry her away to his castle), we love it because it appeals to our emotions and it makes us genuinely happy to see Snow White finally get her happy ending, despite the fact that she did nothing herself to achieve it, really.HOWEVER, this was Disney's first animated movie ever and they decided to adapt it from a fairytale, and a very famous one at that. The original Snow White story was written by the Brothers Grimm, and it was far from the sweetness that Disney added to it in their film version.

There are many different published versions of this story. Here I'll post the one I found in this site:

In the Brothers Grimm version, the evil queen stepmother asks a hunter to take Snow White into the forest and kill her (this also happens in the Disney movie). However, in the story, she asks him to also bring her back Snow White's heart and liver. He can't kill Snow White, and so brings back a boar's heart and liver as well. The queen eats the heart and liver, believing them to be Snow White's. Yuck. In the book, the queen tries twice unsuccessfully to kill Snow White. The third time, when the queen gives her the apple (just like in the movie), Snow White faints and can't be revived. She is placed in a glass coffin. A prince comes and wants to take her away (even though she is still asleep, which is pretty weird). The dwarves hesitantly allow it, and while she is being carried, the carriers trip, causing the poisoned apple to become dislodged from Snow White's throat. She and the prince, of course, get married. The evil queen is invited. As a punishment, she is forced to wear burning-hot iron shoes and dance until she drops dead.

So, in the end, should you watch the movie or read the book? Honestly, in my opinion, Disney did not just make a beautiful work of animation on their movie, but they also made the story a lot more relatable (as in "do something to your feelings") and enjoyable. Still, the remake will never be the same as the original. So it all depends on how you feel in the moment, however, my guess is most people will always go for the more appealing version of the story, no matter how far it is from the original tale.

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About me and my blog.

My name is Ana. I am a Mexican girl who loves to draw, read, watch movies and listen to music. I decided to write my blog about books vs movies because lately I've been crazy (I mean, more than usual) about Disney thanks to Frozen –which I waited for for a year–; and about Middle-earth thanks to JRR Tolkien, who unknowingly came up with the perfect fantasy world for me, and Peter Jackson, who has beautifully brought this world to life although he took a few liberties here and there.

My blog is a school assignment for my Computer class.

It is a blog about books and movies from a Disney and Tolkien fan, so these two will be the main topics I will be talking about on this blog. But still, any book/movie suggestions are more than welcome! Please enjoy my blog and comment on anything that you like!